79R19481 MMS-D

By:  Hughes                                                       H.R. No. 2100



R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, Dr. Robert B. Sloan, Jr., takes up a new post as 
chancellor of Baylor University on June 1, 2005, after shepherding 
that institution through 10 transformative years in his capacity as 
university president; and
	WHEREAS, Dr. Sloan assumed the presidency of Baylor on June 
1, 1995, and during his tenure he has led the school through a 
period of significant academic, physical, and financial expansion; 
that growth was epitomized by the regents' adoption in 2001 of a 
10-year plan to move the university into the upper echelons of 
American higher education while strengthening its Christian 
mission; and
	WHEREAS, During Dr. Sloan's tenure as president, Baylor has 
established three new schools--engineering and computer science, 
Honors College, and social work--and created five new doctoral 
programs; the number of full-time faculty has grown from 644 to 780, 
annual expenditures for research and other sponsored activity have 
more than tripled, and faculty grant proposals have risen 
substantially; in 2004, Baylor was the only school, out of 50 
institutions across the country studied by the American Council of 
Trustees and Alumni, to receive an "A" rating on its core 
curriculum; and
	WHEREAS, While Dr. Sloan has guided the university, 
enrollment at Baylor has risen by 14 percent and minority 
enrollment has risen as well, with minorities constituting nearly 
one-third of the 2004 freshman class; the average SAT score of 
entering freshmen has also improved, and for three consecutive 
years, from 2002 to 2004, a Baylor student has been awarded one of 
the prestigious Truman Scholarships; moreover, Baylor students 
have gained new opportunities to expand their horizons through the 
addition of 19 study-abroad programs and 22 exchange agreements 
with international institutions; and
	WHEREAS, Under Dr. Sloan's administration, the operating 
budget at Baylor has more than doubled and the endowment has 
increased nearly twofold; a five-year capital campaign, begun in 
1999, was successfully concluded a year ahead of schedule, having 
exceeded its goal by $27 million; altogether, gifts to the 
university during Dr. Sloan's presidency total almost $400 million; 
and
	WHEREAS, To accommodate the dramatic increase in academic 
programs and the attendant growth in the number of students and 
faculty, Dr. Sloan has overseen the expansion of the Baylor campus 
from 450 acres to almost 750 acres, together with the construction 
of approximately $400 million worth of new facilities; and
	WHEREAS, Baylor students have enjoyed notable athletic 
success during Dr. Sloan's presidency, winning a number of 
conference championships and claiming two NCAA national 
championships; equally significant, Baylor student-athletes led 
the Big 12 in 2004 with a 78 percent overall graduation rate; and
	WHEREAS, Born in Coleman and raised in Abilene, Robert Sloan 
received a bachelor's degree from Baylor in 1970; he went on to earn 
a master of divinity degree from Princeton Theological Seminary in 
1973 and a doctorate in theology from the University of Basel, in 
Switzerland, in 1978; and
	WHEREAS, After teaching for several years at Southwestern 
Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, he joined the faculty 
at Baylor in 1983 and in 1990 became the first holder of the George 
W. Truett Chair in Evangelism; in 1993, Dr. Sloan was appointed the 
founding dean of George W. Truett Theological Seminary; and
	WHEREAS, A productive, award-winning scholar, he has 
published extensively, presented many academic papers, and served 
as president of the Southwest Commission on Religious Studies; and
	WHEREAS, Dr. Sloan is involved in numerous organizations 
related to higher education and has served on the board of the 
Independent Colleges and Universities of Texas; moreover, he has 
given generously of his time and talents to the Waco community and 
surrounding areas, holding membership on the boards of several area 
civic foundations and serving as president of the Lorena ISD school 
board; and
	WHEREAS, With his wife, Sue, a fellow Baylor graduate, Dr. 
Sloan is the parent of seven children, including one who is a 
student at Baylor and five who are Baylor alumni; and
	WHEREAS, Imbued with a great love for the venerable 
institution he has led for the past decade, Dr. Sloan can take 
justifiable pride in the many advances achieved during his term as 
its president and in the lofty vision that he championed and that is 
today shaping the university for the 21st century; now, therefore, 
be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 79th Texas 
Legislature hereby honor Dr. Robert B. Sloan, Jr., for his many 
contributions as president of Baylor University and extend to him 
sincere best wishes as he continues his faithful service to his 
Lord, his alma mater, and the people of Texas; and, be it further
	RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 
prepared for Dr. Sloan as an expression of high regard by the Texas 
House of Representatives.